The present invention relates generally to the field of orthodontics, and more particularly, to dental positioning aligners or appliances accommodating incremental tooth movements as well as continuous tooth movements with braces (e.g., bracket and wire orthodontics), as well as related methods and systems.
An objective of orthodontics is to move a patient's teeth to positions where function and/or aesthetics are optimized. Traditionally, dental devices such as braces are applied to a patient's teeth by a treating practitioner and the set of braces exerts continual force on the teeth and gradually moves them toward their intended positions. Over time and with a series of clinical visits and adjustments to the braces by the practitioner, the teeth reach their final destination and the appliances are removed. These brackets are affixed to the teeth with a bonding adhesive connecting the base of the bracket to the surface of the teeth.
Alternatives to conventional orthodontic treatment with traditional affixed appliances (e.g., braces) are now available. For example, systems including a series of preformed appliances/aligners have become commercially available from Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, Calif., under the tradename Invisalign® System. The Invisalign® System is described in numerous patents and patent applications assigned to Align Technology, Inc. including, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,807, and 5,975,893, as well as on the company's website, which is accessible on the World Wide Web (see, e.g., the URL “invisalign.com”). The Invisalign® System includes designing and/or fabricating multiple, and sometimes all, of the aligners to be worn by the patient before the aligners are delivered to the patient and used to reposition the teeth (i.e., prior to the onset of treatment). Often, designing and planning a customized treatment for a patient makes use of computer-based 3-dimensional planning/design tools, such as proprietary Treat™ and ToothShaper™ developed and used by Align Technology, Inc. Aligner design can be based on computer modeling of a series of planned successive tooth arrangements, and the individual aligners are designed to be worn over the teeth and elastically reposition the teeth to each of the planned tooth arrangements.
While recently developed orthodontic treatment technologies such as those described above represent a considerable advancement in the field of orthodontics, additional advancements remain of interest. Even though Invisalign® aligners can be used for a wide range of orthodontic treatment, in some instances orthodontic treatment making use of a combination of both traditional affixed (e.g., bracket/wire) appliances and shell-type aligners may be desired by a treating professional based on the individual needs/desires of the patient. As such, there is a need for innovative products that provide an orthodontic patient with treatment which includes both traditional affixed (e.g., bracket/wire) appliances and shell-type aligners.